# Mermaids

**URL:** <https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856>\
**Category:** Pseudoscience and the Paranormal\
**Created:** [May 31, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856 "2013-05-31T06:52:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/1 "2013-05-31T06:52:40Z")

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Did anybody see the “mockumentary” about Mermaids on Animal Planet recently?  
I did not catch it, but many viewers seemed to not know it was fake?  
[http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/29/mermaids-return-from-the-depths-of-tvs-chum-bucket/](http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/29/mermaids-return-from-the-depths-of-tvs-chum-bucket/)

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**Author:** ![asanta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@asanta](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/asanta)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/2 "2013-06-01T03:19:44Z")

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Some of my friends saw it. I do not think they realized it was a hoax. I don’t feel like arguing (with them) right now. :sick:

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**Author:** ![timb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@timb](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/timb)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/3 "2013-06-01T09:32:36Z")

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I saw bits of advertising for the show which presented it as if it were a real documentary. My immediate reaction was “WTF?!??!?!” I had to get online to figure out what was going on.  
I would be willing to bet that lots of viewers did not catch any disclaimers, and did not bother checking its veracity, and are now assuming that mermaids live in our oceans.

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**Author:** ![timb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@timb](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/timb)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/4 "2013-06-01T17:50:49Z")

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Hey! Here’s a great idea for the next great Dupe-amentary. Mice on Mars!

> **['Mars rat' spied by NASA's Curiosity rover](https://www.foxnews.com/science/mars-rat-spied-by-nasas-curiosity-rover)**
>
> A photo from the Mast Camera on NASA’s Curiosity rover reveals the dusty orange, rock-strewn surface of the Red Planet -- and captured a dusty orange rodent hiding among the stones, starry-eyed enthusiasts claim

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**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/5 "2013-06-02T16:16:38Z")

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This type of programming makes me glad my wife and I quit our cable TV habit 2.5 years ago.

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**Author:** ![ufobuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/898d66/32.png) [@ufobuff](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/ufobuff)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mermaids/2856/6 "2013-06-02T17:39:13Z")

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I work with a guy who was fooled by the mermaid documentary several months ago when he watched it.  
What bothers me even more is the History Channel pumping out a constant stream of nonsense documentaries. It is important for people to learn to question their information, but what happens when you can’t trust any information? Politics seems to be getting more and more polarized for this same reason (at least in the U.S.).